California men face hate crime charges for allegedly doing burnouts on Black Lives Matter street mural



Two men will face hate crime charges for allegedly vandalizing a Black Lives Matter mural in Santa Cruz, California. The young men are also charged with felony vandalism and reckless driving for purportedly doing burnouts on a street mural that says, "Black Lives Matter."

Brandon Bochat, 20, and Hagan Warner, 19, are accused of doing two burnouts that left tire marks over the yellow-painted Black Lives Matter mural on July 23. The Santa Cruz Sentinel reported, "Both men admitted the acts to the authorities but pleaded not guilty in July."

Warner admitted that he had been drinking on that day and didn't remember going to the BLM mural, according to Santa Cruz Police Department Officer Elliot Rock.

"[He told me] next thing he knew, there was a burnout and yellow smoke," Officer Rock reportedly told the court. Warner thought the yellow paint was for the crosswalk, according to Rock.

Bochat then drove the truck and made a fishtail pattern on the mural that left tire marks spanning 208 feet, according to SCPD Detective Dominique Hohmann.

The attorneys for the two California men did not dispute the acts of vandalism, but are fighting against the hate crime charges. Bochat and Warner denied any racial motivation for vandalizing the mural, but instead said it was a political act against the Black Lives Matter movement.

"BLM is not a protected group, it is a political organization. It is very of the moment, very important and very popular movement right now," Bochat’s attorney, Micha Rinkus, said. "If this act was done towards animus of a racial group, that is one thing. The act was political."

Warner’s attorney – Jeffrey Stotter – argued the burnout stunt was fueled by "stupidity and alcohol." Stotter added that the defacement of the public property was "not based on hate for any ethnic group or people of African descent."

Both men say they have no hatred for black people or any other minority group.

Santa Cruz County Prosecutor Michael Mahan said, "To say this is them being boys doing something stupid truly minimizes what happened. There are other ways to make a political statement."

During the preliminary hearing, Mahan submitted video evidence from a Snapchat account that showed Bochat driving the truck with Warner and three male minors inside the vehicle.

"The other boys in the car yelled racial slurs as the vehicle drove away," according to the Santa Cruz Sentinel. "Warner is seen in the back yelling 'white power,' as he and the other boys enact the Nazi salute."

The media outlet also notes that a Jan. 16 video shows Bochat driving on a highway while "holding a firearm which the court was unable to determine was real or fake."

"He proceeded to point the gun at another car in front of him and one lane to the left and make racial remarks while continuing to drive," the Santa Cruz Sentinel reported.

Mahan concluded that there is an "ongoing pattern of behavior" with Bochat, adding, "There’s not many times that would be contextually OK to say."

The estimated cost for repairs to the Black Lives Matter mural is approximately $115,000, according to Sean McGowen from the Santa Cruz Equity Collaboration — an organization that attempts to "bring awareness to the inequities in our community while bringing humanness to the process of becoming more equitable." The ongoing cost of the mural has been $216,206, according to McGowen.

The two defendants are set to return to court for their arraignment on Jan. 5.

In July 2020, two California residents were charged with hate crimes for allegedly painting over a Black Lives Matter street mural.

In August 2021, a Florida man accused of leaving car skid marks on a gay pride crosswalk in Delray Beach was not hit with an enhanced hate crime charge despite pressure from LGBTQ groups.

Huge Trump flag unfurled over Black Lives Matter mural on NYC street in front of Trump Tower and paraded around city



Supporters of President Donald Trump decided to get together Tuesday in New York City and march around town with what they said is the largest Trump flag ever, the Daily Mail reported.

And because turnabout is fair play, the group unfurled the flag over the infamous Black Lives Matter mural on Fifth Avenue directly in front of Trump Tower, the outlet said.

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @AJ_Cats_

You might recall far-left Mayor Bill de Blasio helped with the BLM paint job in July.

Photo by Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

The controversial mural — generally viewed as a slap in Trump's face — has been vandalized at least four times since then.

So dozens of Trump supporters dressed in Make America Great Again hats and Trump 2020 T-shirts made sure the flag covered the Black Lives Matter mural for several minutes before beginning a march toward Times Square, during which they recited the Pledge of Allegiance, shouted "Four more years!" and trolled left-wing rioters by parroting their "Whose streets? Our streets!" chant, the outlet noted.

The march of the 75-feet-by-50-feet flag, which says "Trump: Law and Order" and sports a Thin Blue Line design, was organized through a project called "Operation Flag Drop" on Facebook, the Daily Mail said.

'We love all of you so much!'

Trump's son Eric tweeted his appreciation to the president's supporters:

We love all of you so much! If I was there today (I’m campaigning in Michigan and Minnesota) I would come down and… https://t.co/yL5qXn9nTz
— Eric Trump (@Eric Trump)1602619237.0

"We love all of you so much! If I was there today (I'm campaigning in Michigan and Minnesota) I would come down and give you all a big hug!" he wrote before adding, "Happening RIGHT NOW in NYC in front of Trump Tower!"

'No burning, no killing, no fighting, just a peaceful demonstration'

One attendee, Mariano Labsaoy of Puerto Rico, told the Daily Mail he was there to "support our great president Donald J Trump. He has made America the best country on the face of the Earth. Low unemployment, we are safer, we are better, we are stronger. That's why I'm here to support four more years."

Labsaoy also told the outlet that "it's a great feeling knowing that we can use our freedom of expression, to have the freedom to do whatever we want to — all under the law. No burning, no killing, no fighting, just a peaceful demonstration. This is what is called a peaceful demonstration. At the same time, we are not insulting anyone; we are just marching exercising our constitutional right."

Another attendee, Tina Forte, told the outlet that she and her fellow Trump supporters are "not to be ridiculed for loving our country and loving our president because we are not the party of division, we're the heart of America. Loud and proud because Trump supporters need to get loud and proud."

She also told the Daily Mail that "we shouldn't be silent and called racist because we support a president who loves everyone. He loves everyone, he loves America, and you know what? He's the leader of the free world. Under [Democratic presidential nominee Joe] Biden and [Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala] Harris, we won't be free anymore. We will all be communists and socialists, and that is not going to happen, not on my watch."

The outlet noted that some onlookers cheered and clapped for the Trump supporters and no incidents were reported.

When the Trump supporters reached Times Square, they played Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York," and a woman holding an "Indonesian American for Trump" sign gave a speech berating those who oppose the president, the Daily Mail said.

"We are immigrants," she said, according to the outlet. "We came here because we want a successful life."

(H/T: Western Journal)

UNC Asheville under shelter-in-place order after suspect reportedly issues threats if BLM mural not painted over: 'Stay away from campus today'



Officials at the University of North Carolina Asheville ordered the college's students and staff to shelter in place on Friday after an unidentified suspect reportedly made a direct threat to the community if a Black Lives Mater mural wasn't painted over.

What are the details?

According to the Asheville Citizen Times, officials issued the order after several offices at the university reportedly received an email containing a "direct threat" to the college community, which also demanded that the college's Black Lives Matter mural be covered up with new paint.

"The email demanded that the Black Lives Matter mural on University Heights on campus be painted over," a portion of the notice read. "A decision has been made to send a Bulldog Alert to all faculty, staff, and students to shelter in place until further notice. We ask that employees, other than essential personnel, stay away from campus today."

The notice added, "We are working with the authorities to keep our campus safe and to return to the work of the university."

The outlet reported that the school hopes to have the campus reopened as soon as possible, but not before Saturday morning.

The outlet reported that students were "nervous" over the alleged threats.

The school's Black Lives Matter mural — which was painted by black students on Sept. 30 — took about 8 hours to complete, according to the school's website.

What else?

One senior instrumental in creating the mural told the outlet in an email that the campus felt "very eerie and silent" amid the lockdown.

"There isn't anyone around except police, security, and the people who run the residence halls," she said. "I think the campus is handling it very well and being very safe. Personally, I am nervous, as my name is on that mural as well as my friends' who also painted it. I don't want any of us to be targeted."

The Citizen Times noted that campus communications manager Steve Plever "declined to describe the nature of the threats in more detail."

Chancellor Nancy J. Cable declined to provide further details.

A 2 p.m. ET update on the university's Facebook page read, "We write to give you a campus community update. UNC Asheville is currently in 'shelter in place' status and will be sustained until further notice. Multiple law enforcement agencies are working together with UNC Asheville Campus Police to continue the investigation."